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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29900670">A Long Time Coming</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/033120/pseuds/033120'>033120</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Good Doctor (TV 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, medical drama</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:34:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29900670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/033120/pseuds/033120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All the signs were there, sometimes vague, sometimes vivid, memories fleeting in time scattered across a journey of ten years.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Audrey Lim/Neil Melendez</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Long Time Coming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>[ PROLOGUE ]</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She could feel the fast beating of her heart as she slowly followed the path the information lady had instructed her to go to. Her hands were cold and clammy as she gripped her file folder. It wasn't her first time inside this big and busy San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. She had been here a lot of times in her life, usually accompanying someone for medical purposes. Sometimes she would pass by it on her way home. She would stop for a moment and wonder how it would be like to work in one of the state's best hospitals. She knew that it was hard to get accepted here so she put all her best in the years she spent in medical school.</p>
<p>And all that hard work led her to the present. She's now standing before the next step of her journey on becoming a doctor. All she needed was to get accepted.</p>
<p>"<em>You can do it Audrey,</em>" that's what she continuously told herself from the moment she got the invitation for an interview. Among her batchmates who tried for the same hospital but different specialty, she's one of the few lucky ones who was called back.</p>
<p>She arrived at the floor where she was told to go. The hallway was quiet, the people busy minding their own businesses. She approached one of the staff to inquire.</p>
<p>"Excuse me miss," she called her attention and the lady looked up from her desktop. "I'm an incoming intern. I was called for an interview, where should I proceed?"</p>
<p>"Oh hi. Please sign here first," she stood directing her to a clipboard. "Afterwards you can come inside the waiting room. Wait for your name to be called," she explained neatly.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Audrey glanced at the paper where names of the other interviewees were written. So many names yet only a handful of them will be picked.<em> I need to get in this program. </em><em>Audrey you have to do your best</em>, she quietly cheered herself.</p>
<p>She entered the room where the others were anxiously waiting for their turn. She found an empty seat at the back corner and took it. She silently observed the others trying to gauge their capabilities at first glance but she knew that <em>you can't judge a book by it's cover</em>.</p>
<p>So instead of wasting her time watching strangers she'd decided to replay in her head the sample interview questions she had practiced a lot of times before. Best to make a good impression in front of the doctors who might become her colleagues in the future.</p>
<p>The interviews were taking some time and soon more people arrived inside the waiting room.</p>
<p>"No mom, it's not yet done. I just arrived at the hospital," a man's voice whispered to his phone. The newcomer had turned to the corner near Audrey where a vending machine was also situated. Her eyes darted up to glance at the person disturbing her quiet space.</p>
<p>"Yes. I'll look around just in case I got in," he paused, pushing some coins to the machine for a can of coffee. Holding the can and getting a sip from it, he turned around meeting Audrey's eyes. She immediately stared down the file folder on her lap, not wanting to have a conversation with anyone.</p>
<p>"Thanks mom. I'll call you back later," seconds after he ended the call he glanced around the room, probably looking for a vacant seat. The secretary called another intern so the seat beside Audrey was vacated. He glanced momentarily at her before taking the empty seat.</p>
<p>It took some time before Audrey's turn and finally when she stepped on the hospital front lobby two hours later, she released a deep sigh. The main source of her stress these past months was done. All she had to do was survive the agonizing weeks before Match Day. That's where she would learn where she would be shaping up her career to be a surgeon.</p>
<p>Glancing back <em>she hopes it's with this hospital.</em></p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Brought to you by Abi and Faye. Dedicated to a friend of ours who will be starting her med journey soon. Here's to hoping you'll inspire a few chapters of this.</p>
<p>This story "might be" inspired by some real life events happened in our lives as healthcare workers. But a great deal of this story is inspired/borrowed from our favorite Korean medical dramas, TGD is not enough lol. We incorporated some stuff to our beloved otp.</p>
<p>Warning. We stopped watching TGD up to S3 so we can't promise any canon stuff post S3 but since this is set in the past we doubt it will be necessary.</p>
<p>Enjoy.</p>
<p>#limlendezforever</p></blockquote></div></div>
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